Feeding mechanism for gas-producers.



I J. 0. a; J. A. SWINDELL. FEEDING MECHANISM FOR GAS PRODUCERS APPLICATION FILED APR-16. 1909.

Patented Mar. 8, 11910.

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INVENTORS WITNESSES J. G. & J; A. SWINDBLL, FEEDING MECHANISM FOR GAS PRODUCERS. APPLICATION FILED APE-15. 1909). LE Patented Mar. 8, 1910.

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mm RFQNM INVENTORS J J. 0. & J. A. SWINDELL. FEEDING MECHANISM FOR GAS PRODUCERS.

9 1 96 m APPLICATION FILED APR.15, 1909. Patented Mar. 8

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mvzm rons QM @N hm Wu G 0 I 0' Q a a a N own 0 9m W Q o I 0 0 w km Wm wm mm m WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. SWINDELL AND JOHN A. SWINDELL, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

FEEDING- MECHANISM FOR GAS-PRODUCERS.

canoes.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 8,1910.

Application filed April 15, 1909. Serial No. 490,143.

form of our improved feeding apparatus ap-' plied to a furnace; .Fig. 2- is a detail view of the reversing valve; Fig. :5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing a modification; Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the driving mechanism of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig.

Our invention has relation to gas producers, and more particularly to fuel feeding apparatus therefor.

The invention is designed to provide a simple, automatic feed 0 erating at and through a side wall of the urnace in a mannor to maintain a proper agitation of the fuel bed within the furnace, so as to maintain such bed in proper condition and free the ash therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and eflicient feeding apparatus of this character which can be read ily regulated to vary the feed as may be required under different conditions.

The precise nature of our invention will behest understood by reference to the accompanyin drawings, which will now be described, it being premised, however, that various changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of the parts by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Referring first to the form of apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the numeral 2 designate's a gas producer furnace, which may be of any approved ty e, the construction of the furnace proper orming no part of our present invention. This furnace is provided at one side, a short distance above the grate 3, with-a feed opening 41 extent lin through this lateral wall, and into which eed opening extends a horizontal feed pipe or passage 5. The pipe or passage 5 is provlded with a hopper 6, into which fuel is supplied in any desired manner. Working within the pipe or passage 5 a feeding plunger 7 carried by a rod-8 whose opposite end extends within the power cylinder 9 and carries a piston or plunger 10 therein. The cylinder 9 is a double-acting cylinder, pref erabl hydraulic, supplied with operating fluid through the pipe 11 and branch pipes 12 leading to its opposite ends through the four-way valve 13.

Secured to the rod 8 is a tappet arm 14:, which has a sliding engagement with a longitudinally movable shift'in rod 15, to which are adjustably secured the two collars 16 and 17, which are designed to be engaged by the tappet at the respective ends of the stroke of the feeding plunger 7. One

end of the shifting rod 15 is connected by a link and lever movement 18 with an arm 19 of the stem of the four--way valve 13.

2 0 is a counterweight for the link and lever movement 18.

The operation will be readily understood. On each backward stroke of the feeding plunger 7 .fuel falls from the supply hopper into. the feed pipe or passage 5 in front of the said plunger; and on the return strokeof the plunger this fuel is forced forwardly through said feed passage toward the furnace. The engagement of the tappet arm 14 with the collars 16 and 17 of the shifting rod 15, which occurs at the end of each stroke of the plunger 7, effects a shifting movement of the rod 15 and thereby throws the valve from one of its extreme positions to its-other extremeposition to reverse the action of the cylinder 9. Preferably sufficient lost motion is provided in the link and 'lever movement 18, as indicated at 21, so

that the movementof the shifting rod 15 will first act to throw the counterweight 20 past center, and the movement of said weight will then shift the valve.

' In the modification shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the furnace is provided with a feeding-pipe or passage 5, a supply hopper 6 and feeding plunger 7* similar to the corresponding parts shown in Fig. 1, but a different form of actuating mechanism for the plunger is provided. vIn this form the rod 8 which carries the plunger 7 has its end portion provided with a helical feed screw 22, which engages asiniilar thread within the hub of a toothed driving gear 23, which is supported in the bearings 24. ,The gear wheel 23 is driven by a pinion 25 on a shaft 26, which carries a central fast pulley 27,

I and also loose pulleys 28 and 29, one at each side of the fast pulley. The pulley 27 is designed to be driven by either one of two.

collar 32 on a shifting rod 33 at one limit of the stroke of the feeding plunger, and to engage a second collar 34 on said shifting rod at the other limit of the stroke of the plunger. The shifting rod 33 is engaged by a rocker arm 35 of a rock shaft 36, to which is connected a lever 37 having a counterweight 38 at itsupper end, and provided with a lost motion connection at 39 with the belt shifting device 30.

The operation is substantially the same as that first described, except that the plunger is actuated by the screw movement descrlbed instead of by a power cylinder, the reversal movement being automatically effected by the ta'ppet actuated bell shifting means, as shown and described. Fuel being fed into the side of the furnace at each stroke of the feeding lunger, the fuel previously fed into the urnace and constituting the fuel bed is more or less displaced by each entering charge of fuel, and is therefore kept agitated and loosened so as to be maintained in proper condition and freed from ash. With a ro er supply of fuel to the hopper, the fee action is entirely automatic, and by a proper adjustment of the tappet mechanism, the rate of feed ma be varied as may he desired.

It will be obvious that changes can be made in the details of construction and arrangement. Thus, various means may be employed for automatically reversing the action of the feeding plunger; any suitable motor may be em loyed instead of the beltdriven or hydrau ic motor; and the feeding apparatus can be applied to gas producers of different types from that shown. The feeding apparatus described can also be applied to bottom and top feed producers.

Vhat we claim is In fuel feeding apparatus for gas producers, a fuel supply pipe leading into the producer, and having a. supply hopper comnnmicating therewith, a feeding p unger arranged to reciprocate in the said pipe or passage, a motive device for actuating said plunger, said device including a rod connected to said plunger and having a tappet arm connected thereto, a longitudinally movable shifting rod arranged parallel with the plunger rod, collars or stops adjustably secured to the shifting rod and arranged to be alternately engaged by said tappet arm, a counterwelghted lever connected to one end of the shifting rod, and reversing means for the motive device connected to the counterweighted lever; substantially as scribed.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands.

JOHN C. SVVINDELL. JOHN A. SlVINDELL.

Witnesses H. M. CoRwIN, GEO. H. PARMELEE. 

